French Kitchen Bistro: Croque-Monsieur

Today, we’re featuring a French bistro classic — the croque-monsieur. The croque-monsieur (also simply called croque) is similar to a grilled cheese sandwitch in the US. Nobody really knows where the name comes from but literally it means “bite-mister.” It is said that the first croque-monsieur dates back to 1910 when it was served in a Parisian café. A croque-monsieur is as simple as can be and makes for a wonderful quick movie night dinner. They are also great for a quick spring lunch or dinner on the patio. Check our detailed recipe and Art of the Home suggestions below. Enjoy and bon appétit!

Croque-Monsieur

INGREDIENTS(for 4 servings)

8 slices of bread

8 slices of thinly sliced gruyère

4 slices of ham (not too thin)

Soft salted butter

DIRECTIONS

Preheat oven to 425 °F.

Stack up the slices of gruyère and cut to the approximate size of the bread. Do the same thing with the slices of ham.

Butter up 4 slices of bread and stack up ingredients in the following order: 1 slice of bread (butter side facing up), 1 slice of gruyère, 1 slice of ham, 1 slice of gruyère.

Butter up the last 4 slices of bread and place on top of the last layer of gruyère with butter facing up. The butter will melt down into the top slice of bread.

Put a sheet of aluminum foil on the center oven rack.

Grill in a hot oven for about 10 minutes. During the last 1-2 minutes, put the broiler on high (but monitor closely to avoid overcooking). This will make for a nice color on top and add to the crunch.

Serve on individual plates with a green salad if you wish.

A FEW SUGGESTIONS

Cheese lovers: sprinkle shredded gruyère on top of the croque-monsieur before putting in the oven.

Cheese substitution: if you don’t have gruyère, you can use emmental or Swiss cheese.

Oven alternative: croque-monsieur can also be made on the stove top or in a panini press.